Artist Statement

The idea for this series of paintings began in August of 2015. I had been making a yearly  “painting 

pilgrimage” to Ghost Ranch, New Mexico for the last 10 years. This land of Shining Stone—massive rock 

formations mixed in with the canyons and gorges—was also home to Georgia O’Keeffe for many years.

In July of 2015, a large storm with heavy rain caused a flash flood with waters 27 feet high in places, to come 

barreling down the narrow Box Canyon arroyo. Boulders as big as small cars fell from the mesa and tumbled 

downstream in what must have been a thundering roar, as they joined up with trees that had been torn from 

their roots. When the water receded, a new landscape emerged.I saw the once orderly arroyo in August that 

year and was overwhelmed by the power of Mother Nature. Large pines and cottonwoods lay horizontal in the 

now dry creek bed with wave upon wave of small sticks and grasses, rocks and debris woven in and 

out of their branches. Total chaos surrounded me—and it was beautiful. I had to paint it. 

Thepaintings were already spinning around in my head. I could not wait for them to emerge. Whether I am 

looking at pure nature or the aftermath of nature’s impact on the landscape as Mother Earth reacts to the 

damage done by us—this new series has created a marriage between my passion for color and my love of 

graphic design. As storms continue to rage in reaction to changes in the climate, my source of inspiration for 

this series will surely never run dry.

There is true beauty in total chaos.